Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blacktown and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Blacktown: $2,459 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Blacktown
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Blacktown Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Blacktown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,459

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Blacktown and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Blacktown and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,459 in Blacktown versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Blacktown $2,459
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,687 in Blacktown versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Blacktown $3,687
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,915 in Blacktown versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Blacktown $4,915
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Blacktown costs roughly 14% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Blacktown 81% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.72 A$29.45

$17.50 A$24.86

18.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 A$129

$84.3 A$120

7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 A$15.21

$12.17 A$17.29

-12.08%

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.71

$4.07 A$5.79

-1.23%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 A$4.34

$3.18 A$4.52

-3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 A$3.60

$2.50 A$3.55

1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.47 A$12.04

$9.57 A$13.60

-11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 A$13.98

$8.25 A$11.72

19.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.20

$1.50 A$2.14

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 A$4.62

$2.97 A$4.22

9.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.54

$2.68 A$3.81

-7.09%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.66

$5.45 A$7.75

-1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 A$18.36

$10.71 A$15.22

20.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.72

$10.05 A$14.28

-3.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.16 A$21.54

$15.00 A$21.31

1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.71

$4.07 A$5.78

-1.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.59

$3.14 A$4.46

2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 A$5.14

$3.12 A$4.43

15.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 A$7.08

$4.73 A$6.72

5.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.55

$2.98 A$4.23

7.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.03

$2.49 A$3.55

13.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.54

$2.48 A$3.53

0.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$1.99

$1.60 A$2.27

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.08 A$62.6

$44.65 A$63.4

-1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.13 A$20.07

$12.68 A$18.02

11.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.83 A$6.87

$5.55 A$7.88

-12.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 A$8.13

$5.18 A$7.37

10.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$3.84 A$5.45

-36.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 A$120

$139 A$197

-39.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 A$5.91

$4.36 A$6.19

-4.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.37 A$1.94

13.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.76 A$60.8

$29.72 A$42.23

43.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.97

$1.49 A$2.11

-7.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.6K A$39.2K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-5.13%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.0K A$37.0K

$25.7K A$36.5K

1.37%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$181 A$257

$236 A$335

-23.34%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.34 A$38.85

$28.01 A$39.80

-2.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 A$80.1

$57.2 A$81.3

-1.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 A$91.2

$48.39 A$68.8

32.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.91 A$28.30

$21.46 A$30.50

-7.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 A$22.10

$17.67 A$25.10

-12.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,531 A$3,596

$2,461 A$3,497

2.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.3K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-30.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 A$109

$81.2 A$115

-5.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 A$81.9

$49.28 A$70.0

16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 A$156

$120 A$170

-8.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$190

$131 A$186

2.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 A$2,107

$1,703 A$2,419

-12.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 A$1,558

$1,409 A$2,002

-22.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,191 A$3,114

$3,496 A$4,967

-37.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 A$2,555

$2,527 A$3,590

-28.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,217 A$8,834

$7,978 A$11.3K

-22.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 A$6,413

$6,900 A$9,805

-34.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.9

0.85%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Blacktown: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Blacktown

$1.1K 44.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 28.5% $312

Groceries & Markets

Blacktown

$397 16.1%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 2.6% $10

Eating Out

Blacktown

$331 13.4%

Melbourne

$312 11% 5.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blacktown

$264 10.8%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 21.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Blacktown

$170 6.9%

Melbourne

$171 6% 0.9% $1.5

Getting Around

Blacktown

$106 4.3%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 56.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Blacktown

$95 3.9%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 12.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,483 in Blacktown and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Blacktown vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $386 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Blacktown

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

Same time as Blacktown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,942

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Blacktown Melbourne 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Blacktown
Melbourne

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Blacktown vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Blacktown is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,689 in Blacktown and $4,273 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,483 in Blacktown versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Blacktown runs roughly 39% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,531 in Blacktown versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Blacktown and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.